Journal

Did Google stole Android technology ?

Oracle attorneys told a federal jury that Google knew as far back as 2005 that it needed to license Java when developing the Android OS.In an October 2005 email brought out in court, Google senior vice president Andy Rubin was cited as proposing a licensing agreement with Oracle chief executive officer Larry Page.Evidence was also brought forward showing that as of February 2006 Google was in negotiations for a Java license with Oracle. However, ultimately the deal fell through when Google didn’t agree to the terms of the license, Oracle’s attorney said.Oracle is now seeking $1.1 billion in damages as well as a license agreement for Google to continue distributing Android.“The creators of Java made it free and open, and cheered the launch of Android,” a Google spokesperson told TechRadar.“Oracle’s claims not only go beyond copyright and patent law, but also threaten the entire Java community, software developers, and the goal of making systems work together smoothly.”The cheering Google refers to came from Sun Microsystems then-CEO Jonathan Schwartz back in 2007, who praised Android at launch. That same blog post of praise mysteriously vanished after Oracle acquired Sun and became embroiled in the current copyright suit with Google.The two month long trial between Oracle and Google only just started today, which may finally bring closure to the long-standing patent dispute.